Best Healthy Recipes & Snacks For Autumn Kids Will Love

Discover the best healthy recipes for the coming months that your children will love – and how to eat organic this autumn.

We spoke to child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed who shares her wisdom for feeding children from 12 months right through to school age with her new book How to Feed Your Toddler. Discover her top autumn recipes below.

Best Healthy Recipes & Snacks For Autumn Kids Will Love

Courgette Cornbread Squares

Prep: 10–15minutes

Cook: 25–30 minutes

Makes: 20–25 squares

Ingredients:

50g unsalted butter or dairy-free spread

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

2 courgettes (about 350g), trimmed and coarsely grated

1 large free-range egg, beaten

125ml milk of choice

125g Greek yoghurt

198g tin sweetcorn, drained

100g plain flour

150g cornmeal or polenta

30g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan.
2. Line a 20 x 30-cm tin with greaseproof  paper.
3. Melt the butter or spread in a large frying pan, add the spring onions and courgettes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and cooked down. Leave to one side to cool completely.
4. Mix the egg, milk, yoghurt and sweetcorn together in a bowl.
5. Add the flour, cornmeal, Cheddar, and cooled veg, and give it a good mix to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
7. Cool in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack and cut into 20–25 squares. These will keep in an airtight container for 2 days or can be added to your freezer stash.

Mini Black Forest Cherry Cakes

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Makes: 18 mini cakes

Ingredients:

200g frozen cherries, defrosted, plus a handful for decorating, finely chopped (reserve the cherry juice from the defrosted fruit for later)

2 tbsp cherry jam (or another fruit jam)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp boiling water

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature, or dairy-free spread

1 large free-range egg, beaten, or 1 flaxseed egg (see page 109)

50g ground almonds

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

To decorate

100g crème fraîche or dairy-free alternative

a few chunks of dark chocolate, grated

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan. Line a mini cupcake or muffin tin with 18 cases.
2. Add most of the cherries and jam to a food processor and blitz until blended to a purée.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water and stir until it forms a paste.
4. Add the butter or spread, egg and cocoa powder paste to the food processor and blitz until combined with the cherry purée. Then add the almonds, flour and baking powder and give it a pulse to mix together.
5. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until cooked through and fluffy looking. Use a skewer to check the middle – it should come out clean.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
7. Top with a teaspoon of crème fraîche, the reserved finely chopped cherries, a drizzle of the reserved juice and a sprinkle of dark chocolate to finish. You can store these in the fridge and enjoy for up to 2 days.

Spinach Monster Pancakes

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 8 minutes

Serves: 2 toddlers

For the batter

1 large free-range egg or 1 flaxseed egg (see page 109)

100g self-raising flour

80ml milk of choice

handful of spinach (about 80g), washed

olive oil, for cooking

For the topping

6 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

50g red or yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

30g Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated or dairy-free alternative (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the grill to the highest temperature.
2. Add all the batter ingredients to a blender/high-speed mixer and blend to make a thick green batter. Leave to one side.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a 20cm ovenproof non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
4. Once the pan is hot, pour in all the batter then sprinkle over the topping ingredients. Cook for about 2 minutes, then pop the pan under the grill for 5–6 minutes until the pancake is puffed up and cooked through.
5. Leave to cool a little, then slice into wedges, fingers or squares – whatever you fancy.

How to Get Organic Food for Less This Autumn

Organix KIDS Range

Organix’s newly launched KIDS range, aimed at preschool and school kids up to six years old, offers flavour packed snacks that come in brightly coloured packaging and zesty flavours, consisting of Oaty Bars, Mini Flapjack Bites and Wholegrain Llama Puffs, that fit snugly into lunchboxes and are perfect for keeping energy levels up and satisfying little tummies between meals.

Organix has also put together 10 simple hacks to get organic food for less, to help you navigate your way to a healthier, organic based diet for less than you might think:

1. Check prices – you may be surprised to find that some organic items cost the same or similar to non-organic, especially supermarket’s own brand ranges

2. Buy locally – buying straight from growers or farmer’s markets means you can oftensnap up a good deal whilst supporting local, independent businesses

3. Choose the ‘Dirty Dozen’ – these are fruits and veg that are known to have the highest amount of pesticide residue left on the skin once it has been washed and prepared, when grown on a non-organic farm. To counter this, try swapping one or two non-organic foods with some from this list

4. Grow your own – a money saving and satisfying way to access organic produce, which tastes infinitely better than anything you buy in the shops! You don’t even need a garden – plants can be grown using organic compost on windowsills, window boxes, or at an allotment

5. Don’t forget your freezer – organic items can be frozen as soon as you get home, which means you can prolong their shelf life and stop them heading to the landfill, in turn helping reduce food waste

6. Sign up for an organic box scheme – a cost efficient way to access delicious organic fruit and veg for less

7. Don’t overbuy – buy herbs, chillies, lemons and spices, and other foods loose so you don’t over buy as this saves money and reduces food waste

8. Use more vegetables and pulses – good quality organic meat and fish usually cost more, so introducing a few more vegetarian meals into your family menu can help save you money

9. Buy dried, tinned and frozen organic foods as well as fresh – they’re often cheaper, last longer and can be just as good for you

10. Mix it up – try buying organic foods such as our new Baby Meals and mix them into rice or pasta to bulk out dinners

Read More:

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